Races – Rodeo Adventure Labs, LLC

The Rodeo Podcast: Cyclocross!

Once upon a time, in the not so distant cycling past, Cyclocross was one of the brightest spots in American cycling. Regionally there were a half dozen vibrant hotspots where hundreds and even over a thousand people a weekend would gather and race passionately across the various age groups and categories. The tires were thin, the brakes were cantilever, and if we were lucky, the ground was muddy.

In recent times the brightness of this niche cycling genere seems to have faded. Crowds dwindled, attendance waned. Gravel seemingly stepped up and sucked all of the energy out of this other drop bar off road category. But on this episode of the Rodeo podcast we spoke to Cameron and Stephen who went back for another go at Cyclocross for a season – astride their Traildonkeys. Was it fun? Was it worth it? Should more people give this thing a go? Listen along and find out!

The Road to Worlds (Figuratively Speaking)

The Gravel World Championships still feel like a dot on the horizon — that ultimate goal out there. But the road toward it — the figurative one — might matter just as much. Not just the training miles, but everything that comes with it: gear choices, perseverance, and the inevitable bumps along the way.

Cycling Gravel Bike Netherlands traildonkey

Podcast with The Endurance Studio

Right before taking on (and winning) the Pinyons and Pines bikepacking race in Arizona last month, our founder Stephen Fitzgerald had the opportunity to sit down with organizers Dylan and Dana on the Endurance Studio Podcast. They talked about Rodeo’s origins, the bike industry and how it operates, the status of Show Pony and Project Denver, and many many more things. Have a listen here via Youtube, or check links below to find the episode on other podcasting platforms.

BWR Arizona – a sick day for a sick day

I am a big believer in the seasons of life. We all have sequences where things happen to us in cyclical ways. And I am not just talking about birthdays, anniversaries or holidays. I am talking about the less definite moments, feelings and vibrations which come rolling around year after year.

I have a couple of these signifiers, but the most reliable one is getting colds in February or March. Without fail, it chases me down and gets me as the window of winter starts to shut.

I thought I could maybe get away from it living here in sunny Arizona, which I have called home since August. Yet, Thursday morning as I woke up two days before what was my first gravel race of the year at BWR Arizona, I was a prisoner of the season once again with a sore throat, congestion clogging me up, and a quickly building sense of disappointment that it has happened again.

The cold built through Thursday and Friday morning was not much better. I went through as many cold medication options as I could, checked my temperature often, and monitored my lungs for a buildup of congestion. I skipped a ride Thursday and did an easy recon ride on Friday, keeping my power well below the normal pre-racing engine revving I like to do. Yet still heading to sleep Friday night before the race, I didn’t know if I would take to the start in the morning. Sickness, I have learned, is not something you can bully your way through in bike racing.

When the alarm rang at 5:00 AM Saturday, thankfully, I felt immediate relief. My symptoms weren’t worse, they were the same. That’s all I needed to take a stab at it. And oh boy, am I glad I did! In retrospect, BWR Arizona was a sick day for a sick day and it is the perfect building block for the season to come.

Preparation

At 5:00 AM, the harsh buzz of my phone alarm shakes me awake. The temptation to hit snooze is real, especially knowing the comfort of 15 more minutes in bed. But I remind myself of the reward: another episode of The Sopranos, my new trainer session companion. I shimmy into my bibs and socks, letting the compression stir some circulation. My spare bike is already set up on the trainer, making it easy to slide on my shoes, swing a leg over, and press play. Last winter, I binged Six Feet Under, diving into its poignant storytelling of a family funeral home swirling in chaos. The characters were so maddeningly flawed that they became magnetic, drawing me into their world episode after episode. This winter, The Sopranos has muscled its way onto my training regimen, using classic Mafia tactics—charm and intimidation. Widely acclaimed as one of the greatest shows ever made, it was simply a show I couldn’t refuse. Tony’s relentless pursuit of control in a chaotic world feels familiar. Each episode is a reminder that life is often a balancing act between ambition and the forces that threaten to unravel it.

Luke Hall Rodeo Labs traildonkey

Podcast: Rodeo Rider Profile – Jeff Chapman

We are back with another Rodeo rider episode! This time we sat down with Jeff Chapman. Jeff is from Kansas City, Missouri, and is new to Rodeo Labs this year as he has waded further into the gravel thicket.

Jeff started his journey into cycling around the pandemic and is now a two-time participant of Unbound. The race in Kansas has taken on extra meaning for Jeff whose day job is spent out on those same Flint Hills gravel roads. Nevertheless, as is common practice for Rodeo riders, the urge to explore has brought Jeff to expand his racing exploits and explores bigger challenges, most recently taking on a race in Germany.

Jeff’s story is different from our previous guests, but for me, it was very similar to the countless chats I’ve had with rodeo owners all across the country at races. Only this time did we turn on the microphones first!

Foreign – Luke’s Traka Adventure

2 AM, on Sunday Morning and I’m in a Boeing at over 35,000 ft in the air. Sorry, over 11,000m in the air. When competing outside of these United States, we will use the metric system, like the rest of the civilized world. But I refuse to be some proselytizing Metric Snob just because I have been to Europe once. As soon as I cross that border, that Wahoo returns to miles and I’ll be referring to my beverages in “fluid ounces” and calling French fries by their true name, freedom fries.

Adventure Gravel Bike Luke Hall Rodeo Labs Traka

Mid South: a Heaven fit for the Talking Heads

Mid South is the type of Heaven the Talking Heads always imagined. Here is why:

Gravel Bike Gravel Race Mid South Rodeo Labs

Dispatch from Edyn: Into the Drift

Editors Note: Edyn is one of Rodeo’s supported riders, and really excels in endurance and ultra endurance situations. His latest outing was another frigid, challenging fatbike race in his home state of Idaho.

After spending a cold night cramped in a van with one bike, two people, and a dog it was time to get up. Frost covered the windows and I could hear the wind outside. We had arrived in the dark so I had no idea what the area looked like but after stepping outside onto the cold crunchy snow I could see the beauty of where we were.

A Season of Lessons, Pt II

Summarizing a 10-month season of racing is complicated, but in an effort to take you all along with me through 2023, I’m going to try. Events like Mid South in mid-March now seem so distant compared to the more recent sweltering heat of Foco Fondo in July. Now it’s December, and I’m deep into prepping miles for the 2024 season. My brain wanders while on the trainer: What is it that defines a season as a success or a failure? Is it really either-or, or is it neither-nor?

Colorado Cycling Gravel Bike Rodeo Labs traildonkey